30 Days of Riding: Commute Ride Day 01

So after our smattering of snow here on the East Coast, I wasn't able to make it into the woods, so I took to the streets.  My goal of this ride (although not yet working) was to commute to work and back to see if I still had the legs, and the lungs, well I had neither but I did have the determination.  I don't have my Surly built up yet so I chose to go at it with the Stumpy.  Let me tell you, a thirty one pound, five inch travel 29er with 2.4" tires should not be the choice for the ride.  

My commute to my future place of employment is 5.1-6.2 miles dependent on how you ride it, it is an elevate gain of 1000+ feet over that distance which isn't super fun, to say the least.  I was, however, able to find my cadence during the ride.  Which allowed my legs to get a brake for a little while.  The commute took me 52 minutes on the big bike, with some traffic and some stops.  For living in a town where no one understands that you should be on the road, I'll take it.  This sure beats my last 2-3 hour commute by car.  I decided to venture my way into the shop to say hey, and grab something for lunch.  That brings me to the Pro Bar, I will get into that at some point down the road.

The commute back home saw a different story, I stopped by my wives work to say hello, and let her in on my personal accomplishment.  She was happy for me and I was too.  I was able to make it home in less time, adding a few extra miles but making up for it with some extremely cold fingers and toes.  I picked the right shoe for the stiffness job and they weren't too cold on the climb, but for the descent it was a different story.  Arriving back home I really couldn't feel my feet.  These are the perks of this ride I guess.  I am looking forward to this ride, both in warmer weather and on the Surly.  Total miles today 11.7 all smiles, just happy to get out on the bike.

no flats today, but was prepared